Taboo
by Tek Sonay
Summary: Ever since Sarah left the Labyrinth, she's dreamed about her reunion with the Goblin King. She has it all figured out: the checkpoints, the right words... But this? This is not the way it's done!
1. Reunion

a/n: This story is my friendly wink towards a few of our Labyrinth fanon tropes. ;-)

* * *

 _"Taboo"_

 **Chapter 1: REUNION**

Sarah rammed the shovel into the snow and dragged a mitten across her runny nose. Maine winters were brutal, and it didn't help that she was stuck clearing Mr. Pearson's driveway for an entire week. Why couldn't the senile old man have just taken her money, damn it, instead of dredging up this old school punishment for running over his mailbox!

Six years post-Labyrinth and life still wasn't fair: Sarah had no degree, no dream job, and no boyfriend because Maine weather meant being styled like a frigging snowman. The twenty-one-year-old sighed. "Ugh, I wish this stupid driveway would just clear itself."

The morning sun winked over the rooftops. The white frosted neighborhood lit up like a disco ball.

Sarah squinted against the glare, regretting not bringing her sunglasses, but when her eyes adjusted, to her surprise the snow that she had been shoveling was gone. It had simply disappeared!

"Hello, Sarah."

She squawked. Whirling as fast as a snowman could, she came face to face with... another snowman. With eyebrows like the Goblin King. And a coffee.

It was the Goblin King, standing casually on the icy sidewalk, swathed in layers, holding a coffee.

Sarah squawked again.

And then started cursing every single ancestor she could think of before moaning, "Why, why, why, _why_ -"

"I'm asking myself that right now, actually?" snowman Goblin King drawled in amusement. He jumped when Sarah swung her shovel at him.

"No! You don't get to laugh! You ruined it!"

"Pray tell what I could have possibly ruined within five seconds of us meeting each other?"

"The 'meeting each other' bit! Our reunion! You're supposed to appear in my bedroom. Wearing the Sinful Pants. And I was supposed to be like, emotionally distraught or something and draped in a revealing nightie, not friggin' galoshes!"

The woman dropped the shovel and dry sobbed into her snot-crusted mittens. This whole situation was taboo, terribly taboo. There were some things a person just shouldn't do. Ruining her reunion years after the dark, surreal fantasy adventure of her youth was one of them.

Looking awkward, the Goblin King offered her his coffee. "I had thought that this time you'd prefer a normal greeting sans snakes, but since it appears you have some far-fetched fantasies about me..."

Sarah accepted the proffered cup and sipped from it. She blearily eyed the king over the rim. "Do you still have the pants?"

"Indeed." His eyes gleamed under his hat.

Sarah sniffed. "Eight tonight at my place then. I need some time to pack."

"You don't want me to surprise you again?"

Handing back the coffee, the former champion smiled. "Who said anything about me being the one surprised?"


	2. Confession

_"Taboo"_

 **Chapter 2: CONFESSION**

After the Goblin King left - or rather _walked away_ , _like some human_ \- Sarah did a happy dance right there in front of Mr. Pearson's driveway.

The Goblin King had returned for her, and he was coming to her house!

She covered her cheeks. "Oh my gosh, I don't have any sexy nighties!" In a panic, she snatched up her shovel and hurried home, where she changed before heading out to the local shopping mall, only to return red-faced and empty-handed an hour later.

Everyone else may have known Victoria's secret, but she sure hadn't.

But this t-shirt should be plenty revealing, right? Lots of leg. And that tiny hole above her left breast from a misdirected pen? Super seductive.

Sarah was shoving the last of her books in her suitcase when there was a knock on her bedroom door.

A knock.

What the heck?

"I'm going glitter-free these days," the Goblin King answered her unimpressed stare. He frowned at her t-shirt. "Sarah, did you visit the hospital?"

"Yes. Did you know in America, you can be diagnosed with face-palm?"

"What?"

"Goblin King. WHERE ARE THE SINFUL PANTS?"

"Here." He tossed them on her bed. They bounced, considering they had been rolled into a tiny bundle. Sarah looked between them and the skinny jeans he was wearing before shutting her eyes.

"It's okay. I can salvage this," she muttered before taking a deep breath, walking to the wall, and pressing her back up against it.

She schooled a defiant expression. "Okay, I'm ready."

"For...?"

"Well I mean, I'm not really distraught, but my growing levels of frustration should count for something, so yeah."

The Goblin King stared.

"Um, don't you have something to say to me?" Sarah ventured, growing pinker by the second. At the Goblin King's apparent confusion, and the way his eyes kept flickering to her bare legs, Sarah cracked. "This is the part where you pin me to the wall and pour out your confession."

"I'm quite comfortable talking like this," the Goblin King replied, mouth quirking, "unless this is another one of your fantasies, Sarah?"

"Talking is fine by me," she squeaked, springing from the wall to hastily finish packing. Her nose started dripping again. _Stupid me. Stupid Goblin King. Stupid zipper!_

She was wrenching violently at the latter contraption when a long fingered hand covered her own.

"I'm afraid I'm rusty in wall-pinning," the Goblin King said carefully, "but to confess is actually one of my fantasies as well."

Astonishment filled Sarah. What was he saying? Her breath caught when the king gently drew her to stand before him.

 _Oh my gosh, is this it? The moment when my 1,000 role-plays with Sir Lancelot comes to life?_

"Sarah Williams," the Goblin King began. His brow crumpled as if pained. "I confess... when I threw you into the Bog, I cheated."

...

...

"Huh?"

"The Bog is technically a sanitation sector that's separate from the Labyrinth, so runners can't normally enter it. But Higgle had been getting the Fairy Union reps on my case for weeks, and it seemed like a good opportunity at the time, two Nipper Sticks in one throw and all that."

A beat of silence.

"Ah."

Another beat.

As calmly as she could, Sarah extracted herself from the king's hold and walked back to the wall.

"Sarah?"

The bedroom was soon filled with rhythmic thumps of the young woman beating her head.

 _Blargh!_


	3. Destiny

_"Taboo"_

 **Chapter** **3: DESTINY**

They had only been in the Underground for an hour and Sarah was ready to twist her expectations and strangle the Goblin King with them.

No four-poster canopied bed. No lush fur throws. No crackling fireplace, no luxurious bathroom, no magically-filled wardrobe, no servants!

"This is my room?" Sarah cried.

"Actually, this is _my_ room. I just showed you yours," the Goblin King corrected, standing in the modest space with its queen-sized bed, coffee table, and stone bookshelf. A broad window hollowed the left wall, and to the right lay a walk-in closet which brimmed with fashion. _Old_ fashion. "You didn't like the accommodations I supplied for your visit?"

 _No, because I thought they signaled we were going the "rags-to-riches" romance route,_ Sarah thought but would never admit, now that she realized her room was similar to, if not better than, the king's.

Hold on a sec. Did he say "visit"?

"Did you say 'visit'?" Sarah repeated aloud. "Goblin King... are you planning on sending me _back?_ "

"You mean you were going to leave your entire life behind, just like that?" he said, disbelief painting his elfin features. "And if you wouldn't mind, I prefer to be called Jareth. What an interesting individual you've turned out to be."

What about him? He acted nothing like she remembered! In fact, she'd say his behavior was frighteningly sensible. No wildness, no danger, none of that. It was like revisiting her favorite childhood amusement park as an adult.

Sarah knew she had to do something if she wanted to stop her dreams from crumbling at her fingertips.

She gasped. Of course!

She rushed to the open window and gripped the stone sill, where she closed her eyes to the starry sky. Footsteps drifted near. For once, Sarah wished Jareth would go away. He would _not_ mess this up for her.

"What is it this time?" he asked, sounding tired.

"Shhh! I'm trying to hear the Labyrinth."

"You're wha -, ah nevermind."

Sarah dismissed his dismissiveness and focused. She tried imagining her consciousness reaching forward, extending into the Labyrinth, dancing around the creatures that coexisted within its sentient walls. That's right, let the Spirit of the Labyrinth feel her love and respect for its denizens. Let Her acknowledge her natural authority and her complementary personality to the Goblin King's, accepting her as the Underground's true queen and awakening the innate fey blood that she surely carried!

Two grueling hours later, Jareth interrupted with coffee and a plate of sliced peaches.

Sarah lifted her slumped form off the window sill. "Hah. You're not scaring me off. I know a test when I see one." She stuffed three juicy pieces in her mouth to prove it.

Jareth leaned beside her. "Any luck with whatever it is you're doing?"

At the sound of his soothing voice, Sarah sagged. "She doeshn't like me," she sobbed. A real sob. She was tired on so many levels. It was late at night. At this point, she'd happily claim her non-canopied, plebeian bed.

"Who doesn't like you, precious?"

"The L-Labrynsh Shpirit." The woman swallowed the fruit and pressed fists to her eyes. "We're supposed to have this bond. It's supposed to be d-destiny!"

Jareth cooed and pulled her into his arms, rubbing her back. "Be at ease, precious. I can see that there's been a misunderstanding. The Labyrinth isn't its own entity. It's a conglomeration of stones and vegetation operated by magic."

Sarah sniffled, her despair at hearing this revelation belied by Jareth's comforting scent of a hundred wild and masculine things, such as crocodile skin, buckshot, and three-meat pizza. "But then, how am I supposed to..."

 _...gain immortality?_ she barely stopped herself from asking. Too soon, that.

"If you're supposed to bond with this labyrinth 'spirit,' perhaps I can help you." The king gently lifted her chin. "After all, I am the true ruler of the Labyrinth. Care to bond, Miss Williams?"

"Oh yes, finally," Sarah breathed. She reddened at his chuckle. "Er, I meant - stop laughing! Okay. What do you have in mind?"

Eyes glittering, Jareth grabbed her hands. "I'll show you."


	4. Longing

_"Taboo"_

 **Chapter 4: LONGING**

Bonding... Jareth had said he wanted to bond, right?

So why was he pulling her straight past the bed?

 _Pace yourself, girl,_ Sarah thought as Jareth led her down the hallway. It wouldn't do for her to get her hopes up after abandoning them like any properly disillusioned adult. Never mind that she was _smack dab in the middle of a fantasy land with the friggin' sexy King of the Goblins_ , who just so happened to have her in his grasp, in his castle, in the middle of the night.

Who was she kidding? There was only one way this was going!

But the room they entered still took her by surprise.

 _Oh wow,_ Sarah thought as Jareth drew her closer to his curved, empty throne. _This is, um, kinda kinky._

She had been anticipating something more couch-in-the-study style, but hey. A little whip crack here, a little magic fingers there, Jareth zips them back to that irresistible queen-sized bed and bam: make-out session round two. Who knew the Labyrinth offered romance economy packages?

"Only a little further," Jareth interrupted, redirecting her towards an alcove. Sarah frowned when he lead her through a familiar passageway up into the Escher Tower.

Her eyes widened when Jareth stopped them on a particularly wide landing before turning to smile at her.

Nuh-uh.

Not happening.

Unless this castle had its own live-in chiropractor, there was no way in Narnia she was making out - upside-down, sideways, or whatever - on a cold, hard floor!

The king sat down and stretched out like the stone wasn't five inches from a death drop. "You have no idea how long I've been thinking about this," he drawled.

A giggle strangled itself out of Sarah's throat. "Oh yeah? Must've been only... forever... right? You know what, I don't think I got the full bedroom tour. Let's go back-"

"Silly girl. We can't stargaze in a bedroom."

"Is that a euphemism?" Sarah squeaked when Jareth leaned up to pull her down beside him. Great. Her dream stay had already been shortened to a visit and now her body was gonna feel like crap for the entirety of it.

"Behold, precious." Jareth raised a gloved hand. "I place the sky within your eyes."

When her vertigo finally abated, Sarah gasped.

Stars.

Breathtaking, glowing stars scattered beyond the open ceiling like the violent, snotty spray of a glitter monster.

"Now there's a view," Sarah murmured.

"I did promise to spin you Valentine evenings."

Sarah shyly reached for Jareth's hand, and he let her hold it, and after several minutes she was glad he had.

Because they were "bonding" alright.

In the most boring way imaginable.

"... and then the Great Nebulous Garrulous Spawn, in an effort to be reunited with his forbidden lover, partook in the ancient trial between the planets of Faren..."

No offense, but if St. Valentine's evenings had all been like this, he must've been one miserable bastard.

 _Note to self: return Nerd Edition Goblin King to his deep, dark oubliette as soon as possible,_ Sarah mentally groaned when Jareth began listing the genealogy of an extinct race of mountain trolls.

She was seriously starting to doubt the king's interest in her. For crying out loud, she was barely inches away from him and clad in a t-shirt, and yet Jareth lay within the perfect paradigm of personal space: one arm behind his head, one hand pointed at the stars, and two legs snugly crossed.

She needed to test him.

"Jareth." Sarah interrupted. "Before we continue, I gotta know something."

"Oh?"

"Were all those years of separation hard?"

"Hm, how so?"

"You know. The pining…" She scooched closer. "The longing." She slid her calf against his. He froze. "That must've been tough, spying on me with your crystal balls, endlessly yearning to ravish me but unable to act because I had revoked your power -"

"I do not use my balls to stalk people."

"Then why did you come back for me?"

"I heard your wish. I'll admit, Sarah. I'm romantically interested in you -" Sarah's heart fluttered - "but I assure you that I am a gentleman. I thought we might get to know each other. You know, for more than thirteen hours."

Sarah pulled away with a frown. Something wasn't adding up. How could they have such drastically different expectations? Had her memory just completely repainted what had happened between them? "What about those words you said to me at the end?" she accused.

Now Jareth looked wary. "My memory is a bit hazy."

"In this very tower, and I quote: 'Fear me, love me, do as I say, and I'll be your slave'?" Sarah's smirk turned into a gawk when Jareth blushed.

He actually blushed!

 _I don't believe it. The Goblin King is self-conscious about something!_

"I beg you," he said. "Forget you ever heard that."

"It's kind of unforgettable."

"I wasn't myself."

"Sure."

"It's true. I had been corrupted by a recent discovery." Jareth covered his face when Sarah peered closer. "I believe you Abovegrounders call it a dime novel?" he muttered through his leather gloves.

"Oh gosh." Sarah leaned back on her heels. "You're as depraved as I am."

"I am not depraved," Jareth huffed. A moment passed. "Well, maybe a little."

An awkward silence descended.

Sarah fidgeted with her hem before giving up. Okay, so he did like her. And he wanted to see where their relationship went. Maybe not where she had imagined herself starting, but definitely the place she wanted to be.

Scooting closer, Sarah tentatively lay her head on the king's shoulder. "Sooooooo." She bit her lip. "Mountain trolls, huh?"

Jareth scoffed.

But then he reached for her hand again. Sarah wrapped her arm around his and snuggled into his warm side.

Soon she was drifting off to the king's soothing voice and his tales of love between the stars...


	5. Resolution

a/n: Thank you for reading with me! :D This has been a fun, short ride!

And thank you, Christine, for your darling review!

* * *

 _"Taboo"_

 **Chapter: RESOLUTION**

Sarah woke to the sound of banging.

"Huh? Wuh?" Blearily she rubbed her eyes, only to bolt upright upon seeing her surroundings.

Her bedroom. Her Aboveground one.

The last thing she remembered was cuddling with Jareth in the Escher Tower. Had he brought her back?

The banging increased. Confused, Sarah threw a robe over her flannel pajamas before hastening towards the front door. The frigid Maine air licked her like a giant ice bear as she came face-to-sour-face with her neighbor, Mr. Pearson.

"Miss Williams, when someone tells me they're gonna do somethin', I expect them to do it!" the stumpy geezer barked, brandishing a shovel.

Sarah frowned and crossed her arms. "I already finished our agreement. Sorry, but your driveway is back to being your own problem."

"Our agreement was 'til Friday, and that's today. Your generation thinks they can quit willy-nilly -"

"Hold on," Sarah said in exasperation. She left him grumbling at the door while she retrieved her phone. Senile old man. He couldn't even remember what day it was!

But when she looked at the date...

A minute later, Sarah found herself holding a shovel and staring blankly after Mr. Pearson as he hobbled off.

 _My gosh, he's right. It is Friday._

Heart pounding, she shut the door and yanked off her robe. Flannel pajamas? What happened to her t-shirt?

 _Jareth!_ her mind accused with a blush, but when she returned to her room, she quickly discovered that her suitcase items had all been returned to their proper places. The Goblin King could have changed her sleepwear, but there's no way he knew she stored her lucky lipstick in her tampon bag.

That meant only one thing.

"DANG IT!"

She had dreamt the whole thing up!

Sarah gripped the sides of her head. _Nooooooo why, Subconscious? What aside from the obvious is_ wrong _with you? How could you do this to me?_

The rest of her day was spent in miserable stewing.

Mr. Pearson's driveway? Had to shovel the entire thing herself.

Coffee? No thanks. She preferred the zombie appeal.

Local shopping mall? Yes, please, Victoria, give her all the sexy lingerie. She'd be forever alone anyways. Why not pamper herself?

Toby called. _Sorry I missed you, lil bro, just fantasizing over your childhood kidnapper._

That evening, Sarah bundled herself in her warmest blanket and fuzziest socks to ward off the chill of disappointment, and then she sat criss-cross on her bedroom floor. A pillow choked in her arms.

 _8 o'clock_ , Sarah sniffed. That's when Cinderella went to the ball. _Bet the whole thing was the result of her breathing in too many chemical cleaning vapors. "That's not a broken goblet, step-mother, that's my glass slipper."_

Sarah sighed. If she were honest with herself (but who wanted that?) she probably still had some repressed something or another from her teenage adventure in the Labyrinth and her dream was her way of processing that.

Yeah.

Yeah, that didn't make her feel any better.

"I wish Jareth could be here for real," she muttered, missing the king's dreamy dream self's warmth and thoughtfulness.

The lights flickered out.

The room rumbled with thunder.

The windows rattled fiercely!

"What the -" Sarah gasped, feeling betrayed by the weather channel. A thunderstorm, now? But she wanted to watch Netflix!

"Hello, Sarah," a familiar voice crooned, and next thing Sarah knew, the air was exploding into the glitter apocalypse.

"Achoo!" she sneezed. "Achoo, aCHOO!"

Achoo!

Achoo!

Ugh!

"Gods, what happened to being environmentally friendly?" she wheezed, wiping sparkly snot and tears on her sleeve.

"...Are you alright?"

"Yeah, just give me a sec," Sarah said, taking a breath to compose herself. _Holy crap, the Goblin King is here!_

This was it: what she had been waiting for all these years. That overwhelming feeling of _something_ was going to sweep her off her feet and into his arms any second now. What was it going to be: fear, anger, passion, surprise?

…

 _Okay, so numbness. Didn't know that was classified as a feeling._

Sarah shrugged and lifted her eyes upwards.

She wished she hadn't.

"Dear Lord!" she cried, averting her gaze and brandishing her pillow between them. She scrambled to her feet. "Put some normal clothes on, please!"

"You don't find my pants sinfully maddening?" the Goblin King asked. He sounded so confused that Sarah ventured a peek at him. He looked, well, she could spend a paragraph describing him, but he basically looked exactly like he had six years ago. Including those awful pants. Why had she ever wanted them? She wasn't ready!

"No. No I do not. In fact, there are probably laws against those," she exclaimed. She shoved the pillow at him. "Here. Hold this."

The Goblin King's mouth quirked in wry amusement as he complied. He started to stalk around her, "My, my, how you've grown -" but stopped just as abruptly because, well, he was holding a pillow over his crotch. He switched tactics and stretched back on her bed and… yeah, same problem.

Sarah stifled a giggle while he awkwardly positioned himself.

The king cleared his throat. "Why have you summoned me, Sarah?" he said, settling for crossing his legs and splaying his hands on the mattress either side of him. Classic makeshift throne look. "Ran into trouble? Cornered yourself with only me to turn to? Aching with a passion that only I can satisfy, or ooh, let me guess: it was an accident."

"Sort of that last part," Sarah replied, studying his face. Her dream self hadn't done half bad in the memory department. Take that, high school psychologist!

"I see. You must be surprised," the Goblin King drawled. Suddenly he vanished. Sarah jumped upon feeling his hot breath on her neck. "I, for one, have been possessed with thoughts of you."

"Ew, Jareth, that's creepy!" Sarah squawked, whirling. "Can't you talk like a normal person?"

The king's eyes widened before narrowing. "How do you know my name?"

"Duh, you told me," she retorted. Then realized her mistake. _In my dream. Curse you, Subconscious. You just named the king like a dog._

"Did I?" the king said thoughtfully but didn't correct her.

 _I was right? Scratch that: yay Subconscious!_

Jareth continued, "Despite my undying passion for you, however, Sarah mine, I'm afraid I need your help. Something is wrong with the Labyrinth, and only you can remedy it."

"Oh no, what's wrong with it?"

"Many things."

"Like?"

"Troublesome things."

"Can you please name specifics?"

"It specifically needs you to, erm, fix them."

A stiff pause.

They frowned at each other.

Sarah thought she'd be excited to finally hear the Destiny Call, but all she felt was bewilderment. This situation reminded her of when her step-mother wanted to spend time with her but used the excuse of needing help with the garden.

Jareth cracked first. Muttering to himself, he turned his back to her. Rustling filled the silence. Curious, Sarah peeked around Jareth's shoulder. A tiny earmarked journal was in the king's hands.

"14th century dime novel?" she piped.

Jareth spun around. Eyes blazing, he gripped her chin!

Then he let her go.

He grabbed her by the shoulders!

Sarah blinked when his mouth pursed near, but he vanished again.

Now he was sitting against her headboard, pillow tight in his arms.

"Who _are_ you?" Jareth accused.

"I'm _me_!" Sarah answered dumbly. "Who are _you_?"

"I am the Goblin King, Ruler of the Labyrinth, former Contender of the Champion." The little journal came out again. Jareth frantically flipped through the pages before stopping, sighing, and tossing it. "Alright. You win… again! I have no idea what I'm doing. What do you want?"

"Uh?"

"Clearly, I've misunderstood the expectations I'd be facing. Come, precious. What do you want? You wouldn't have wished for me otherwise."

 _What do I want?_ Sarah wondered, awe filling her.

Was this finally (finally, _finally_ ) the chance she had been waiting for? Like for real? Dream Jareth was a lie, but this Jareth was actually willing to play to her fantasies. Could she finally have all those things she had desired?

Sarah thought carefully.

She stroked her chin.

She walked to the window.

She assumed the only yoga position she could name: the downward dog.

These last twenty-four hours had given her much to think about, but soon she realized that the answer had been settled in her spirit all along.

Sarah dropped her blanket and walked over to the bed. Her pajamas made her feel like a majestic flannel lion as she slowly prowled across the mattress. The king visibly swallowed.

"Jareth," Sarah said. She lifted his hand. "How would you like some coffee?"

He raised a brow. "Is that a euphemism?"

"It's a drink. Bitter at first, but give it some time and a spoon of sugar, and it'll be one of the most worthwhile things you've ever had."

Sarah waited.

After a long moment, Jareth covered her hand with his own.

Then he smiled: beautiful, brilliant, and saturated with relief. "I trust you know what you are offering?"

Sarah grinned. "Whatever it is," she replied mischievously, drawing him off her bed and down towards the kitchen,

"I'm sure that it will be completely taboo."

 _The End._


End file.
